Copyright Parade
Santorini sunsets just got an upgrade. In summer 2026, Royal Caribbean will debut its first-ever European beach club on the island, bringing private cabanas, infinity pools and signature cocktails to one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines. Royal Beach Club Santorini will be located in the island’s Vlychada area on the southern coast of Santorini. Rather than starting from scratch, an existing beach club will be transformed with upgraded design, services and amenities. The popular cruise giant will be following strict environmental protocols and ensuring that all local regulatory requirements are met. While the new private beach club follows a popular trend for cruise lines to provide bigger, better and more exclusive experiences—Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises and Disney Cruise Line all have their own private beach club experiences and other cruise lines share private clubs as well—with this new club, Royal Caribbean’s efforts are also about managing crowd flow, an ongoing issue in popular, historic cruise ports around the world such as Greece. As part of their plan to divert congestion, Royal Caribbean is launching a wider package for cruisers called The Ultimate Santorini Day. Cruisers will begin their journey from one of three designated locations in Santorini: Oia, Fira or the Royal Beach Club. This way, guests will be better distributed across the island, both showcasing all that’s available to see in Santorini and furthering the company’s goals of protecting and preserving the environment. “Everybody’s bucket list is to go visit Santorini, and we’ve crafted just the most amazing day for you,” says Jay Schneider, Chief Product Innovation Officer for Royal Caribbean. “Santorini’s a great location, where we know guests are looking for gorgeous views, great pictures of the blue roofs, excellent greek food and the spectacular service Royal Caribbean is known for.” Related: 5 Best Bucket-List Cruises You Should Take Once in Your Life, According to Travel Guru Darley Newman Expect More Royal Caribbean Private Islands in 2026 and Beyond With the announcement of Royal Beach Club Santorini, Royal Caribbean is expected to have four Royal Beach Club properties by 2028, including Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in Nassau opening in December, Royal Beach Club Cozumel opening in 2026, followed by Royal Beach Club Lelepa in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu in 2028. “We’re always looking for different ways for our guests to experience the destination,” says Schneider. Stewart Chiron, aka The Cruise Guy explained what’s behind the private island trend to Parade.com: ““Destinations are the new arms race confronting the cruise industry,” says Chiron. “As cruise lines expand around the world, they need more places to visit. Many popular destinations feel overwhelmed at times, so companies are spending billions developing their own private destinations—entire islands or exclusive beaches.” As Chiron puts it, “Experiential travel is exactly what cruising is about. These private islands give guests those memorable, once-in-a-lifetime moments while allowing cruise lines to deliver a level of service and quality that’s entirely their own.” Related: The One Cabin Cruise Experts Say You Should Never Book, No Matter the Deal Royal Caribbean’s Mediterranean Sailings Announced for 2027 While the new beach club reveal is an exciting one, it’s just part of a new announcement about Royal Caribbean’s 2027 Mediterranean lineup. In 2027, Royal’s biggest and newest ship Legend of the Seas will take sail in the Western Mediterranean for 7-night sailings across France, Italy and Spain. Guests will get to experience the brand new ship’s slate of 28 dining options—the most at sea—including the exciting new immersive Royal Railway–Legend Station, which takes guests on a journey through the ancient silk routes. Mariner of the Seas will sail from Southampton for 2- to 9-night sailings, and will be making its first ever stop at Porto, Portugal—a city topping many best-of lists as of late. Mariner will be making Northern European stops past Norwegian fjords and colorful buildings of Copenhagen. Rhapsody of the Seas will be making a return after four years, sailing from Athens and making Eastern Mediterranean stops at Tangier, Morocco and Bodrum and Istanbul, Turkey, and the ship will get to visit the all-new Royal Beach Club Santorini, along with overnights in Istanbul or Alexandria, Egypt.
